Smart specialisations - comparative analysis of selected Polish regions using the location quotient

The subject of regional smart specialisations is an issue analysed in the context of economic growth, creating innovation and competitiveness, engaging countries and regions in the development of R&D investments in the field of in the European Union. The purpose of this article is to characterise the issue in relation to voivodeship smart specialisations in Poland and to verify the intensity of occurrence of the discussed issue. The following voivodeships analysed in detail where IT and communication (section J of the Polish Classification of Departments) were pointed as intelligent specialisation: Lower Silesia, Łódź, Lesser Poland, Subcarpathia, Silesia and Greater Poland. Using the Location Quotient and based on the values obtained from Section J, a comparison was conducted based on the level of employment intensity and investment outlays for the whole country. The analyses allowed to state that in the case of only two voivodeships: Lower Silesia and Lesser Poland, LQ for employment assumed values greater than unity, which proves high specialisation within the IT and communication section in these voivodeships. The LQ analysis for investment outlays for the surveyed voivodeships did not exceed unity, which proves lower investment outlays in the IT and communication section in the examined areas than the average for Poland. As in the case of LQ for employment, the Lower Silesia and Lesser Poland voivodeships obtained the highest results. The analysis enabled the verification as to whether the assigned regional smart specialisations are reflected in the level of employment and investment outlays.